`West 57th` Is Given Another Shot, Slot

newsmagazine, brings to mind the old ham-and-egg principle; if we had some ham, we could have ham and eggs, if we had some eggs.

A year ago, when ``West 57th`` was hatched, the clearing of throats could be heard within the august confines of the CBS News division. What was all this with the brassy graphics and the loud music and these kids dashing around in the cashmere sweaters?

The craggy visages and self-proclaimed heirs to the mantle of Edward R. Murrow were not amused. Don Hewitt, the executive producer of ``60 Minutes,`` pointed out that since CBS had a major-league newsmagazine in its quiver, well, there might be room for a minor-league variation. Hewitt later offered regrets for the crack.

The four correspondents on ``West 57th,`` as well as producer Andrew Lack, were distressed at the public disembowling. But, since they worked at CBS News, they understood the mentality. There may be institutions like the World Court or the Boston Celtics that take themselves more seriously than the CBS News division. But it would take a long taxicab ride to find them.

Somehow, ``West 57th`` lumbered on, turning up again on April 30 after an extended period on the bench. During that hiatus, the network`s entertainment division was stumbling to a weak second-place showing in prime-time, and the

``CBS Evening News`` kept hearing the hot breath of Tom Brokaw and NBC when the weekly ratings came out.

In short, it is not the best of times at CBS. The chief programmer, as well as the executive producer of the ``Evening News,`` have been replaced in recent weeks.

Within the television industry, there is a palpable sense as well as solid A.C. Nielsen evidence that CBS is ``skewing old,`` that its programming is missing the coveted 18-to-49, upwardly mobile, conspicuously consuming types. And in the May ``sweeps,`` only two CBS shows, ``Dallas`` and ``60 Minutes,`` were numbered among the top 10 in prime time.

``West 57th``--``a perfect NBC show on CBS,`` in the words of one staffer --was numbered among the top 40, on a good week. So the network has moved the newsmagazine and its tiny little bag of ratings again, this time to what is considered a more manageable time slot at 9 p.m. Wednesdays (WBBM-TV-Ch. 2).

During the announcement, the president of CBS Entertainment, one B. Donald (Bud) Grant, felt compelled to drape a noose over ``West 57th,``

telling the New York Times that, ``I hope it works like mad and that it`s part of a very successful fall lineup for us. I think the odds are against it.``

In less than a calendar year, then, ``West 57th`` had found itself spanked by CBS News and by CBS Entertainment. Thus far, CBS Sports has had no comment.

``It`s a little demoralizing when you hear that stuff,`` said Bob Sirott, a veteran of the Chicago broadcast orbit and one of the four correspondents on the show.

``You tell yourself, `Hey, the guy who runs the entertainment division wants all the (prime-time) hours. That`s part of the game.` But after the thing with Hewitt last year, you wonder if this isn`t turning into an annual bit. You get the sense that this sort of internal strife in public wouldn`t go on at NBC.``

By Sirott`s reckoning, the next six to seven weeks at 9 on Wednesday will determine the fate of the program. By everyone else`s reckoning, there is little reason to be optimistic.

Around CBS, where they used to wait years for shows like ``60 Minutes``

to find an audience, the current policy appears to be based on uplifting internal memos. Good wishes to Andrew Lack from ``Evening News`` anchorman Dan Rather and Don Hewitt were released to the New York papers. After Grant tolled the bell, CBS News president Van Gordon Sauter offered ``West 57th`` staffers a memo in which he characterized Grant`s remarks as ``ill-advised and disruptive.``

``A bad review in the papers is not that big a deal,`` Sirott said, ``but these quotes from Bud Grant are a little depressing. Van`s note was a nice gesture, and it was appreciated. He told us that all we could do was keep putting the best show we could on the air. The rest is in the hands of the Nielsen gods.``

With few surprises left, Sirott is resigned to whatever comes next. He figures the planets were lined up perfectly to get ``West 57th`` on the air in the first place. And he`s curious to see what happens with ``1986,`` the revamped ``American Almanac`` newsmagazine effort from NBC, which re-debuts Tuesday night.

``There are a million arguments to keep us on, and a million arguments to keep us off,`` Sirott said. ``It`s network television.``